A Different Path
by pfacade
Summary: When Sasuke kills Orochimaru his next target is Itachi. When Akatsuki begins a war Naruto decides to stand up to them. "So, whadda ya say Sasuke? I scratch your back and you scratch mine. Well...you are a teme so don't scratch my back". Naruto X OC
1. Return of a Hero!

Title: A Different Path.

Chapter: One

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters related to Naruto except ones that I make.

Summary: Naruto wants to become stronger, so he does what is necessary. He also runs into that bastard Sasuke later on - that helps things...

Pairing: Naruto x OC

Money system: I am sure you guys know about US dollars? Well it is like the same thing, except one dollar = one yen. So 100,000 dollars US equals 100,000 yen.

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"Talking"

'Thinking'

"**Kyuubi talking"**

'**Kyuubi thinking'**

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2 and ½ years before:

Naruto sat on his bed. He ached all over, but not just with physical pain. He ached with emotional pain and lots of it; too much for a teenage face.

_*Flashback*_

"_Sasuke! Stop! NOW!" Naruto screamed. Naruto quickly caught up to Sasuke and began charging a Rasengan. Sasuke turned around slowly and smiled as he ascended to level 2 of the cursed seal. "This ends now, Naruto."Sasuke charged a chidori in his hand. As the lightning flashed in his eyes, naruto was sure he saw pain at what was about to happen. 'I'm so sorry Naruto…' Sasuke thought. They charged into each other and Naruto's rasengan missed. Sasuke's chidori pierced his shoulder and then unconciousness took him."_

_-At the village-_

"_Sakura, I'm so sorry. I tried to bring him back but I couldn't…He hit me with a chidori and I-"Naruto couldn't stand to look at her in the eye. When he did look up, Sakura's had a pained smile. "It's OK Naruto, I knew he would not come back anyway…"_

_Walking home, Naruto still got looks from the villagers. He knew that he would have to leave to achieve his full potential. Konoha would always hold him back…_

_*End flashback*_

Two and ½ years later…

"Later Jiraiya!" Naruto yelled and waved to the figure that was distantly fading away as he ran through the village again. Passing the villagers he saw them looking at him in disbelief with frowns on their faces, and then with minor contempt. 'Hm…so the villagers still hate me' he thought. He charged some chakra and quickly ran up Hokage monument, and sat on the fourth Hokage's head. "Hm…what should I do first…" he pondered. "Maybe look for my old friends?"

Naruto looked down at the village. It wasn't hard to find some pink hair out of all the other civilians and shinobi. Naruto smiled and jumped off the monument.

---With Sakura---

Sakura was thinking about Naruto and when he would be back. She heard updates about where he was since she worked with the Fifth Hokage now, and was anticipating his return. She was pretty happy and couldn't wait to see him again. She smiled as she felt his chakra presence coming toward her. "Naruto!" she smiled. She quickly ran to him and hugged him.

"I missed you!" she smiled. "Do I…Do I look more womanly?" she asked. Naruto facepalmed. "Err…yeah" he said hesitantly.

From a nearby rooftop, Jiraiya and Kakashi got boners. "Write this down Jaraiya" Kakashi muttered. Jiraiya started jotting notes furiously in his notepad. "I know!!!" he hissed. Tunsade appeared out of nowhere. "Hey fellas!". They both went wide eyed long enough to realize that they got punched off of the roof.

Naruto heard some distant screams. "Er…what was that Sakura?". "I'm not sure Naruto…let's catch up with the rest of rookie nine!" she laughed. She grabbed his hand and ran.

-Later that day-

Naruto buried his head in his hands. Inside of him Kyuibbi stirred. **"So Kit, what are you going to do now that you are back?" **he asked.Naruto looked around his apartment. It was dreadfully small – one of the things he hated. 'I don't know right now…'-Naruto thought for a moment- 'Well…I don't know. Today when I found out that everyone became Chuunin and I didn't, I got kind of jealous. I think I got stronger but not strong enough. I want to advance myself and most of all find out who were my parents.' Naruto felt Kyuubi nod internally.** "I understand kit…why not leave the village for awhile more. **

Naruto thought of this prospect for a moment. Leaving to go somewhere else with a new start? And no hateful villagers to hold him back…but yet he would have to make a plan to leave – not to mention get past a lot of Ninja considering the fact that they didn't want their "Weapon" leaving. 'How can I trust YOU?' Naruto asked. **"Because by extension I am part of you, so whatever you do I have to make sure is right to ensure my survival. Remember, if you die, I DIE!" Kyuubi replied.**

Naruto thought for another moment. 'Ok, I've made up my mind Kyuubi, I will leave. Should we do it now?' Kyuubi smiled internally knowing that Naruto had made the right choice. **'No, I suggest you stay in the village for awhile more, and get what you can get from here. Then after you train here, try to get permission to leave. If they don't give you permission, then run. You will return anyway.'**

_*That night*_

Naruto put on one of the few clothing articles he had that were not orange: a black t-shirt and some black ninja pants. He also donned some black shinobi sandals and wore a facemask. "Kage bushin no jutsu" he whispered. Two clones popped into existence next to him. "You know what to do…" Naruto told the clones. The clones nodded and left Naruto's apartment. Naruto quickly slipped out a few minutes later with a small bagpack that held all of his kunai and shuriken, but also a sealing tablet which Kyuubi had instructed him on making. Taking to the rooftops and alleyways, Naruto quickly made his way to Konoha's shopping sector. On the way there he got a mental signal that his clones were in position.

"**As a good lesson for you, on missions you will have to know how to steal. In some missions you will be instructed to go into a compound, get items or documents, and get out – silently. Right now your stealth sucks, so this will be good practice. Get used to the thrill." Kyuubi explained.**

Looking at the now empty streets, Naruto pinpointed three stores. A store for all Shinobi needs, a food store, and a clothing store. "They never let me shop there and I am low on money…I guess they won't mind if I 'Borrow' some stuff…" he grinned. Naruto picked the shinobi store first and slipped behind it to the back entrance. He picked the lock quickly and tried to detect and chakra signatures. When he found none he went into the store and began looking around.

"Hm…So I will need some Kunai, Shuriken, some Fuuton Shuriken, some large Kunai, a few other bagpacks and…ah Tanto's!". Naruto went quickly through the store and picked out what he needed. He also picked out shinobi bandages and some black facemasks. When he was done he did a few handseals and the items poofed away into his sealing tablet.

Naruto then repeated this routine at the clothing store and the food store. At the clothing store he got some dress robes for himself, different styles of tee shirts, a few jackets, some combat boots, some slippers and other basic casual garments/items. At the food store after he slipped in he grinned at the isles of different flavored ramen.

"**NO KIT. I WILL NOT EAT RAMEN ALL OF THE TIME. GET 10 PACKS OF RAMEN, NO MORE. GET OTHER FOODS". **Naruto pretty much cried as he put all of that precious ramen down on the shelves and got other foods. As usual they got sealed into his sealing tablet.

'Hey Kyuubi how does this sealing tablet hold so much?' he asked after he slipped out. **'I put a-bit of my chakra in it so it can hold whatever you need. Since my chakra is powerful, I doubt that will ever get full. If it does, the more chakra I infuse is the more it can hold. Now, to Hokage tower'. **

Naruto once again took to the rooftops and jumped a good distance from the Hokage tower. **"Ok Kit, give the mental signal to your clones". **Naruto did it. Naruto felt the clones using Kage Bushin no jutsu and they shortly found his position. When all of the clones were there, they used henge to turn into regular jounin. Naruto did the same.

"OK, let's move out." Suppressing their Chakra they walked into Hokage tower and flashed a few papers to the ANBU guards. "We just came back from an A rank mission. We need to put this scroll into the Jutsu archives…" Naruto flashed a scroll. The two ANBU looked hesitant for a moment but nodded and quickly led Naruto and the clones down to the bottom of the tower. As Naruto passed the rooms and hallways, he made note of the building layout.

"Were here." the ANBU announced, stopping in front of two regal looking doors. Kyuubi gave Naruto instructions once again. **"Render them unconscious and wipe their memory…" **The clones let off some of Kyuubi killer intent to paralyze the ANBU, and as the ANBU turned around slowly Naruto quickly dealt them some blows. 'How do I wipe their memory?'

"**Crap kit, I forgot to explain. Take some of my chakra and channel it into your hand. Then think of this experience while putting your hand on their head. I will do the rest for now – later on I will teach you the handseals." **

The clones quickly tied up the ANBU and put them in a nearby closet. Naruto did what the Kyuubi instructed and when he was told it was a success, he walked into the Jutsu archives and looked at rows and rows of scrolls. 'I'll need some help with all of this stuff…'. "Tajuu kage bushin no jutsu" Naruto whispered. About fifty clones popped into existence next to him.

"I need you guys to read all of the scrolls you can. When you are done put everything back to the way it was, and do what you have to do. You guys-" Naruto pointed to five clones. "Come read some kenjutsu."

Naruto left the clones and ran down the isles, until he found something's of interest. In a corner were a bunch of uniforms for different ranks. He walked towards them.

"Hm…ANBU uniforms. I need these…". He put on the ANBU Uniform, including all of the guards and he looked for a mask. A nice fox mask caught his eye. He picked it up and put it on. He then sealed his other clothes and an extra ANBU uniform (with black amour instead of white amour) in his scroll . He also henged to make his hair look black.

As Naruto was about to leave but out of the corner of his eye he saw something glint in another isle. He walked down the aisle to find a small yellow box, with a metal circle on the top.

"**Kit, that's a blood seal. Try it." Kyuubi told Naruto. **'Hm…a Blood seal huh?' Naruto bit his thumb and pressed his now bleeding finger to the seal. It glowed for a moment and designated. Inside of the box was a small sealing tablet with the kanji "Yellow Flash" and a scroll. **"Yellow flash was another name for the fourth Hokage. He was known for that because of one of his signature moves, Harishin no Jutsu. He threw a Kunai somewhere and instantly teleported to that place in a yellow flash. Get it?" Kyuubi explained. **Naruto internally nodded and put both items it in his bag. "I'll find out what it is later…". One Naruto's clones then ran to him. "Naruto, someone is coming!" Naruto looked around quickly "Have you guys completed what I told you to do?"

"Yes, we did. We have all the information. You will get it once we "leave". Naruto nodded and let the clone's poof out of existence. He instantly felt a flood of information coming to his head, and a killer headache coming on. **"You see kit? That is what happens when you have too many clones find too much information. Get ready for a migraine later."**

As the person outside neared, Naruto quickly hid in the shadows and grabbed a katana from the corner. He strapped it to his back and kept his hand on the hilt just in case. The person – a jounin quickly peeked in to check what was going on and left when finding nothing. Naruto let out a sigh and went to the door.

"**Ok kit, suppress your chakra signal and start walking. To end this we are going to walk right out of here. It was a great idea to wear that ANBU Armor…and I suggest you keep that katana". **Naruto peeked out and left. He started running up the stairs. 'Kyuubi, how far to the entrance?'. "**Three floors" Kyuubi replied. **When he reached one floor from the Hokage tower entrance, he almost sighed in relief. 'I think I'm gonna make i- OH SHIT!'. He bumped into Tunsade. "Er…Hokage-Sama!". He did a salute.

'CRAP! I THINK KAMI HATES ME! WHAT SHOULD I DO FOX?' he screamed internally.** "ACT NORMAL!"** Tunsade gave him a blank look. "Hello ANBU-san…" she said icily. Naruto got a cold sweat, nodded, and walked past. "And Naruto, mind telling me why you are here?" She smirked. Naruto gulped. How he would get himself out of this predicament?

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Tanto's – Small swords

That do I look more womanly line was taken from the manga. I don't own it.


	2. Growth

So yo guys! This is your author pfacade and this is chapter 2 (finally). Even though I am having little no writers block (yet) basically I have _**1 major problem which is: **_**Reviews.** Basically for the first chapter I got one review but **seventy-eight hits, with two authors adding me to their alerts list and one author adding me to their fav. list.** Get the point? Basically, I am not a review hog but I need reviews to tell me how you the reader think I am doing, and also sometimes reviews give me ideas. So please, after a chapter take the time to review. It does not have to be long…even a "Nice fic man" helps and gives me hope.

Anyway, thanks guys! And without further interruption, here is your next chapter!

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"Talking"

'Thinking'

"**Kyuubi talking"**

'**Kyuubi thinking'**

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Naruto gulped. He turned around slowly. "You have exactly ten seconds to tell me" Tunsade said dangerously. "Um…" Naruto was at a loss for words.

Tunsade appeared in-front of him in a flash. "Too late." she whispered. Tunsade flicked him in the forehead and that one flick sent him flying down the hallway. In mid air, Naruto quickly did a backflip and got back on his feet. From down the hallway Tunsade smirked. Dangerously. "I'll make a deal with you brat. Let's have a 'Spar'. If you win, I'll let you keep whatever you snuck in here for…" Naruto started sweating. "And if I lose…?" "Then you have to buy me ten bottles of sake…" Naruto sweatdropped. "Ok…" Tunsade grinned: "Did I mention you have to go fetch it from Kiri for me?"

'Oh shit. Kyuubi what should I do?' Naruto asked his "Tenant". **"Fight her kit. I'll lend you some of my chakra if things get out of hand but for now use your skills to combat her. Also run like shit because you better take this outside of the village". **Naruto nodded internally. He put the ANBU mask he was wearing at his hip. He also drew the katana strapped to him from its stealth on his back and got into a fighting position. While travelling with Jiraiya he had learned some of the basics of fighting with a sword.

"Ready?" Tunsade asked. Naruto grinned. "Bring it on…" In middle of his statement Tunsade ran at him, ready to give him another punch. Instead of trying to block it, he dodged and dealt a swipe of his katana and did a few black flips to put some distance between him and Tunsade. The then re-stealthed his Katana.

Tunsade's robe cut neatly open, exposing her sizable bust (I don't usually write lemons, but what can I say: it's rated M). Remembering his travels with Jiraiya Naruto got a nosebleed. "Your dead meat kid!!!" she yelled. She ran at him again. This time, Naruto ran up the stairs. It turned into a full chase through Hokage tower, during which she broke numerous chairs, tables, and other valuable objects, but did not have success at getting Naruto. It ended at Tunsade's office, where Naruto got cornered at the window.

Tunsade gave an evil smirk. "So, whatcha gonna do now? I've got you just where I want you…" Naruto smiled. "I always have a trick up my sleeve". Naruto charged some chakra in his fists and and punched the large windows behind him. He then dived out of Hokage tower and glanced back. Tunsade had jumped after him also looking murderous.

She quickly withdrew 5 kunai threw them while doing some handseals. "Kage kunai no jutsu!". They multiplied into about 25 kunai heading towards him. "Kage bushin no Jutsu!" Naruto screamed. A clone popped into existence next him and threw him out of the way. The clone of Naruto poofed out of existence as it was impaled with numerous kunai.

"**KIT, LOOK DOWN!" **Kyuubi screamed. Then Naruto looked down and quickly realized that the ground was approaching quickly.

Naruto threw a few shuriken back at Tunsade but she twirled and hit them away. She then charged some chakra in her feet and stuck to Hokage tower. Naruto did the same and stuck to the tower a few paces from her. "Whew…that was close" he sighed.

Naruto and Tunsade gave each other a glance before charging at each other. They engaged in taijutsu for a moment, with Naruto mostly dodging Tunsade's blunt force attacks. While fighting Naruto realized what commotion they must have been causing in the village. They were fighting on the side of Hokage tower, stuck to the sides by chakra, and at night. Naruto got tired for a moment and jumped away. He then pumped some chakra in his legs and ran through the village towards the village wall, with Tunsade on his heels. When Naruto reached the wall, he sprinted on it using chakra, hoping to get to the top quickly.

Tunsade rushed after Naruto as he ran up the wall. Naruto threw Kunai and Shuriken behind him to slow her down, and was mildly successful. Then Naruto reached the top of the wall, and jumped into the nearby trees. A few minutes later Tunsade got to the top of the wall and did not see Naruto.

"Ready or not, here I come!" she screamed. She jumped into the nearby forest and began jumping from tree to tree looking for him. Suddenly she stepped on a tripwire and it broke. "Shit!!!" She waited for something to happen. Nothing did.

"Heh, seems you set your trap wrong Naruto!" she grinned. The grin was wiped off her face when she heard a loud crack and a huge wail. She looked behind her to see a giant tree falling towards her. Naruto jumped out of the nearby trees with his hands rapidly moving through handseals. "Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu!" he screamed. A large stream of fire emerged from Naruto's mouth and hit the tree, setting it on fire in turn. Naruto retreated once again into the trees. 'Kyuubi, I did not know that Jutsu…' **"The knowledge from you reading those scrolls is already sinking in kit – but as I said, be ready to have a killer headache later".**

**_- With Tunsade –_**

Tunsade cursed as the flaming tree was about to fall on her and charged up some chakra in her fist. She then punched the tree with everything she had – literally breaking it into little pieces, but as a result her hand got burned pretty badly. 'That brat is wasting my damn time…I need to end this" she whispered. She quickly healed the burns and jumped into the trees after Naruto once again. The broken pieces of the tree lay smoldering on the ground.

**_A few minutes later:_**

**_Naruto jumped out of the trees stood on the water of a nearby lake using chakra. It was almost Dawn and soon light would be coming up. Not soon after he jumped out, Tunsade did also. She jumped straight on the lake like he did. "So granny, I see you liked my Jutsu…I hope I didn't burn you up…too much" he smirked. Tunsade immediately got angry. "You better watch that mouth brat, or I'll let the cleaners use it to wipe the windows in my office!" "I broke them down, remember?" Naruto laughed._**

Tunsade appeared in front of him suddenly. She punched him hard but instead of blood, liquid burst out. "Huh…? Shit…a water clone". The water clone of Naruto grinned pointed down. Tunsade looked down to see the real Naruto below the surface. "Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu!". From underwater a water dragon charged up at Tunsade and propelled her in the air, with such force that she lost her breath for a minute. 'Where did that brat learn those Jutsu…?' She looked down again to see the real Naruto on the surface going through a series of handseals.

"Katon Karyuu Endan no jutsu!" A fire dragon rushed up at Tunsade. Tunsade his handseals also. "Suiton Suijinheki no Jutsu!" A torrent of water hit the fire dragon and canceled it. Also, the water and fire meeting caused a mist that spread over the lake.

Tunsade descended gracefully and landed on the water. She squinted into the mist to try and find Naruto. "Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu!" she heard Naruto scream behind her. A large spinning pillar of water hit her with such force that she was sent flying. She grimaced at the force, but regained her footing a few seconds later. "Dammit BRAT! Since when did you get to be such a nuisance! You're lucky I am only using lots of Taijutsu, and not Jutsu!" she yelled. Naruto grinned in the mist. "I guess I am…if you did use more Jutsu I would have to fight harder. Anyway, Jiraiya did not just teach me the Rasengan Tunsade…But speaking of which…" Tunsade heard the sound of it and cringed. The Mist around her started getting sucked away and when it cleared up, she saw that it was being sucked into the Rasengan.

Naruto stood with the Rasengan smirking. He started running towards Tunsade. Tunsade prepared herself to dodge when two clones emerged from the water behind her and held her in place. "Shit…" she cursed while writing against the clones. Naruto got in jumping distance of Tunsade and did a chakra leap. "NARUTO, STOP! THIS IS JUST A **SPAR**!" she screamed. But her voice was drowned out as Naruto moved at extreme speeds with his hand plunged toward Tunsade. "RESANGAN!" he screamed. Tunsade braced herself for the oncoming impact.

When she felt nothing, she opened her eyes. She saw Naruto standing in front of her with his hand on a sphere of water that surrounded her. "What is this Jutsu Naruto? And you win this spar-" Naruto ran across the lake screaming about his victory and doing his signature victory dance. When he lost contact with the sphere, it dissipated and Tunsade was free. She smiled. She was happy her surrogate "Little brother" had grown stronger after being away.

Naruto ran back to her. "In case you're wondering baa-chan this Jutsu was used by Zabuza of the mist to trap Kakashi sensei. Sasuke and I (Naruto shuddered) had to get Kakashi out of it. It's called 'Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu'. Basically, when I did my Rasengan, at the last minute I canceled it while my clones did the Jutsu. When you closed your eyes, they left (Naruto pointed to the spots the clones had previously been in) and I just used my chakra to maintain it. Obviously, I would never use the Rasengan since it was a spar. You're too old for me to-". Tunsade kicked Naruto across the lake. "FOR THE LAST TIME BRAT, IM NOT OLD!"

Naruto and Tunsade walked back through the forest to Konoha as the first rays of sun were beginning to peak over the horizon. On the way there an ANBU squadron intercepted them. "Hokage-sama, we have been looking all over for you! We thought you got taken by-". Tunsade dismissed the rest of his statement with a wave of her hand. "Nope, ANBU-san. It was just an early morning training session – that's it. Call off the other squadrons if you have any looking. But before you leave, I want you to run back to Hokage tower and get me package 4C. Also-(Tunsade looked at the ANBU amour Naruto was wearing). Can you get Kakashi-san here please? Thanks!"

Naruto looked on in confusion. "Sheesh, baa-chan – you people have weird code names. What the hell is going on anyway?" Naruto asked. Tunsade facepalmed. "Have respect for your elders Naruto. You should have more now, because I now appoint you to the rank of-(The ANBU appeared again and handed the package to Tunsade)…Chuunin." She took out a Chuunin vest out of the box and handed it to Naruto.

After much celebration by Naruto (Which included screaming, flipping, and hugging Tunsade in a bear hug) Naruto changed into the Chuunin vest and put away the ANBU Amour in order to avoid confusion among the villagers. When they entered the village gates they met up with Kakashi. "Yo!" he said casually. He flipped through the pages of his icha-icha paradise book while walking with them back to Hokage tower. **"Hm…brat, congrats on your promotion. I don't mean to break the celebration but I think you need to tell them something…" **Kyuubi told Naruto. Naruto thought about it for a moment. He was broken out of his thoughts by Kakashi.

"So Naruto, I heard you held your own against the Hokage. Great achievement, I can see you have grown a lot from the last time we were together!" Naruto gave his signature grin while Tunsade glared. "Actually, it was complete ownage and-", Naruto was cut off by Tunsade hitting him on the head. "Anyway-" Tunsade started, "Kakashi, I just promoted Naruto-kun to Chuunin, but I need you and Yamato-san to train him for awhile. I would have promoted him higher, but I don't want alot of attention built up around this, especially since Naruto-kun just came back to the village."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Erm…about that…I was planning on leaving the village for awhile…" Tunsade and Kakashi looked at him with wide eyes. "Well why? You just got back a day ago…and with whom?" Kakashi asked. Naruto gulped. "Well, basically solo…" Tunsade looked at Naruto and laughed.

"Are you serious Naruto? There are so many complications. First of all you will have to deal with the council, and even though they hate you they won't want you to leave. After all they consider you a weapon. Then, if you somehow sneak out of the village I will be forced to put you in the bingo book. That means that Hunter-nin will come after you to try and retrieve you or kill you - Most likely the latter.

Lastly there are threats outside the village, including the Akatsuki. Even if you get out and evade hunter-nin, the Akatsuki are hunting people who are the containers of demons – such as yourself. They are all S-Rank criminals, and we don't even know their leader. You would have a hard time fighting them and in the end you might be captured. Why do you want to leave anyway?" Tunsade finished.

"Well, I think that I can learn only 'so much from this village'. Basically I need to find Sasuke before that snake-bastard takes over his body. I also want to find out who my parents are…".

Kakashi winced. "Well…Naruto you grew stronger, but not strong enough to be out on your own yet." Tunsade thought for a minute before coming to a conclusion. She finally spoke. "Naruto, I suggest you stay in the village for awhile more, but today – that mystery about who your parents are will be told to you…and about Sasuke, a mission can easily be arranged…but not yet.". Naruto looked away so they wouldn't see his face of disappointment.

Naruto, Tunsade, and Kakashi stopped in front of Hokage tower. "Today, you will know the truth." she whispered.

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A few miles away, two figures that had trench cloaks with red clouds stood on the village wall. One squinted through some binoculars to look at Naruto, Tunsade, and Kakashi. He had peculiar blue skin, and shark teeth. "When will we strike?" His partner looked at him with red eyes blazing with the Sharingan. "Soon. But first, we report back to Pein."

They disappeared as if they had never been there.

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Well, that's the end of the second chapter! Please review.


	3. A Plan and a Offer!

Hey guys! Chapter 3 now! I am sorry it seemed that I would take long to update, but general laziness coupled with some writers block sucks, and it is for this reason I need a time skip to put me back on track. I believe that it is appropriate, because things will spring up in this chapter. Remember, the first time skip was 2 and ½ years, and that was from when Naruto failed to get Sasuke. The next time skip (this chapter) is 6 months so three years have passed. Without further ado, here is your third chapter :-)

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"Talking"

'Thinking'

"**Kyuubi talking"**

'**Kyuubi thinking'**

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_**----Six months later----**_

"SASUKE. GET. ME. SASUKE!" screamed Orochimaru from his bed. Beside Orochimaru, Kabuto sighed as he looked on at Orochimaru in his weakened state. "Sorry Orochimaru-sama, but I have looked all over the compound and Sasuke is nowhere to be seen. We have Shinobi working on-"

"I WANT HIM NOW!" Orochimaru interjected. Kabuto was about to mutter his apologies again, when he heard someone walk through the door.

"I'm here." Sasuke said. Orochimaru gave a sinister smile. "Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun…come closer…" he laughed. "We have a lot to talk about". Kabuto walked toward the door. "I'll be outside" he said simply. He walked past Sasuke and gave a smirk, and then he was gone.

Sasuke was alone in the room with Orochimaru now. "Now Sasuke-kun…for the past three years I have been training you…and I have to say you have grown significantly stronger…but it has been for a reason." Sasuke listened intently. "As you know, or maybe don't know…every three years I need a new body. Join with my Sasuke, and we will both be strong. We will defeat your pester of a brother in a flash, I guarantee you". Sasuke tensed.

"No. I refuse." He said. Orochimaru gave a twisted grin. "Then let's do it the hard way…"

Suddenly Kabuto bursted inside the room, and jumped towards Sasuke with a chakra scalpel in his hand. Sasuke was too late to turn around, and got cut on the neck. Sasuke felt a bit of blood seep out of it and smirked. "You will have to do more than a cut to beat-". Sasuke felt a lot of pain go throughout his body. He then fell to the floor unconscious. "Small cuts to nerves do big things sometimes, Sasuke-kun" Kabuto laughed.

Orochimaru laughed while Kabuto picked up Sasuke's body and put in on the bed. "So, shall we begin Orochimaru, well I should say…Sasuke-sama?" Kabuto asked. Orochimaru and Kabuto exchanged evil grins and leaned in. Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes flared open with the three tomed Sharingan.

"What?" Orochimaru breathed. "What…what the hell is going on?" As they leaned in further, the paralyzed "Sasuke" grinned. "Katsu!" He exploded, leaving a burned Orochimaru and a badly burned and barely conscious Kabuto. "What…a clone?" Kabuto muttered. He struggled to put himself in a leaning position. Orichimaru screamed in fury. "SHOW YOURSELF!" Sasuke moved from his position in the shadows and took out a Kunai.

"Yep, that was my clone." He said casually. He walked to Kabuto. "I knew about your little plan all along, but all I had to do is wait for the prime time to…strike." Sasuke slit Kabuto's throat. Orochimaru didn't even blink as he stared intently at Sasuke.

"You see, _Orochimaru-sama, _before I left Konoha I did some research and realized the truth. After three years you would need a body. You placed this cursed seal on me to _"give me power"_, but also attempt to use my body as a host when the time is right. Well, I let you train me and teach me all those techniques that will be put to good use against my brother, but I assure you…time's up." Orochimaru looked on as Sasuke pulled out his Katana.

"So, you plan to kill me, eh? Well I assure you even if you do, I will come back through that cursed seal that is on you, and I will take you over eventually. You may have a strong body, but such a weak mind…" Orochimaru paused and laughed. Sasuke looked a bit unnerved as his seal started to hurt. He quickly raised his Katana and dealt the killing blow. Orochimaru's head fell to the floor, still in that twisted grin.

'One step closer…to Itachi…' he thought. He placed some explosive tags around the room and escaped the compound.

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In another place, a figure leapt from tree to tree. As he saw the walls of Konoha in sight he grinned. 'So Kyuubi, what do I have to do today?' Kyuubi sighed. **"Damn kit, you have such bad memory. First of all you have to turn in that mission report and pick up your commission. Second of all, you have to train. Third of all, you told me that those weaklings called Genin have some sort of meet. You have to go to that too." **

Naruto smirked at the rest of rookie nine being called weaklings. He himself had gotten stronger in the last six months. 'Thanks furball, and I might not train today. I'm not really in the mood.'

"**Stupid kit, you shouldn't be calling me a furball. Remember when you used to wear that retched orange jumpsuit? What kind of ninja were you then?"**__Kyuubi let out a roar of laughter in his cage. Naruto groaned and cut off his mental connection with Kyuubi. He then jumped down to the ground and walked towards the gates.

"HALT!" two Chuunin shouted. "State your business…" Naruto pulled out a set of papers. "Uzumaki Naruto, returning from a B-rank mission in Kiri." The Chuunin looked at his papers and nodded at each other. They then let him through.

As Naruto walked through the streets he noticed something that he did not recognize before: most of the female population had their eyes on him. Naruto stopped and looked down at what he was wearing. He was wearing black Shinobi pants with normal bandages at the bottom coupled with black sandals and a red shirt with a spiral at the front. He wore his forehead protector around his neck and had a katana strapped to his back. To top it all off, he wore a black trench coat with flames at the bottom, similar to the Yondaime's trench coat.

Naruto quickly reached Hokage tower and looked inside. Too many people were in the waiting rooms and it would probably take him an hour to get in. 'Why are all these people here anyway…' he thought. He walked out of Hokage tower again and started walking up its wall using chakra, right to the Hokage's window. When he reached it he was about to open it and jump in when he stopped, and listened to Jiraiya and Tunsade talking.

"…so Tunsade, something has happened. There are a lot of reports from the areas around the Sound village that seem to indicate that the sound ninja are on the move again."

Tunsade gasped. "Which way are they headed? This could be an act of war!"

Jiraiya bristled. "Tunsade, that's the tip of the iceberg. My spies have told me that Orochimaru's "underground village" has been burned to the ground. What's more interesting is that the ninja seem to be heading in different directions. This can only indicate that somehow, Orochimaru is not in command of them anymore."

"But why? Orochimaru is on a mad quest for power. Deserting all of his ninja forces is not exactly the way to do it…something must have happened. Do you have any idea?"

"The only thing I can think of is maybe Orochimaru is dethroned. But that would not be possible, considering his caliber. Also I thought that Yaushi Kabuto, his assistant, might have attempted a coup, but there are no signs of him either." Jiraiya finished.

Tunsade thought for a moment. "Well then, if Orochimaru is gone, and Kabuto is also gone then where is-"

"Sasuke." Naruto finished. He was standing by the window wide eyed. Jiraiya smirked. "It looks like I thought you some damn good stealth skills kid. How did you hide and hear this conversation?" Jiraiya asked.

"Err…I stood by the window…" Naruto answered. Tunsade and Jiraiya sweat dropped. Tunsade coughed lightly. "Well, provided you heard this Naruto, I want to classify this as an S-rank secret. Do not reveal this new development to _anyone, _even Sakura. We need to find out more before we even tell this to any of our ninja."

Naruto let out a low whistle. "Sure…but still no one has answered my question. Any idea on what happened to Sasuke?"

Tunsade and Naruto looked to Jiraiya for a moment, who then went deep in thought. "If anything…I would say that Sasuke did this".

Naruto and Tunsade let out simultaneous gasps. Jiraiya continued. "It all makes sense if you think about it. The three year time limit on Orochimaru body is up and Orochimaru probably needed a new body. Sasuke on the other hand probably figured it out somehow and killed Orochimaru, and most likely Kabuto also since Kabuto is always with Orochimaru". Jiraiya finished.

"But how did he get so strong?" Naruto asked. "I mean I know he probably trained with Orochimaru…but to kill him?" Jiraiya, Tunsade, and Naruto contemplated this in silence for a moment. After a few minutes Naruto spoke up. "Where do you think he is headed next?" Naruto asked.

"If I am right, he is probably going to try and find Itachi...which will take him about a year considering the Akatsuki base is unknown."

"So what will we do now? Should we get Sasuke since he is out of Orochimaru hands?"

Tunsade sighed. "Naruto, Sasuke does not exactly want to return…he had the option to but basically he still going after his brother. If anything, our greatest threat right now is the Akatsuki. Jiraiya, what information did you get?"

Naruto stiffened up a little. "So wait, you want me to hear this?"

"Yes kid, this effects you. Anyway my spy network has told me that Amegukre has been going through a civil war recently and a victor has emerged. They call him "God", and the ninja are all willing to die for him. He is characterized by some weird piercings on his nose and a cloak with red clouds-"

"Akatsuki of course". Tunsade added. "But to beat Hanzo? No one could have been _that _strong…"

Naruto looked confused. "Who is this Hanzo guy anyway?"

Jiraiya frowned. "Long story kid, but basically he is the one who beat Tunsade, Orochimaru, and I in our prime and gave us our title as Sannin. Anyway as I was saying, there is also another Akatsuki member there who is characterized with having blue hair and an ultimate control over paper. It's suspicious, but we can only assume that Akatsuki has taken over their village."

Tunsade sighed. "This can mean deep problems for us. There will be no diplomacy and further more they are still trying to capture Jinchūriki. At the rate they are going, they might start to try and conquer other nations-"

"Which is why we have to stop them." Naruto finished.

Tunsade and Jiraiya nodded simultaneously and Jiraiya went into a state of deep thought.

"Ok gaki, leave. Tunsade and I have a lot to discuss…"

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A few miles outside of the sound border Sasuke stopped in the middle of a forest and set up camp. It was pretty late and he had covered his tracks fairly well, so no one would even be able to find him – even if they wanted to. He hunted a rabbit and made some food for himself and while he sat down he thought about his life.

He remembered Konoha, his clan, his home, and most of all: Naruto. Even though he didn't admit it, Sasuke missed his friend more than he let show and his three years at the sound village was pretty much a challenge for him. Huffing, Sasuke sat down and went to sleep, thinking about what he would do the next day, and about a certain blue eyed and blonde haired friend of his.

_-The next morning-_

Sasuke woke up to the feeling of something nudging him. "Fucking asshole!" the thing hissed.

Sasuke jumped up with his Sharingan activated, looking around and expecting to see ninja. When he looked around and saw nothing, a voice came from below him. "Down here idiot!" Sasuke looked down to see…a dog. The dog was Kakashi's summon Pakkun.

"Ugh, you damn leaf ninja are still looking for me?" Sasuke asked. He prepared to strike a blow to dispel the summon when Pakkun screamed. "WAIT!" Pakkun looked through his pouch and dropped a scroll on the floor. "I'm just delivering a message. It's from one of your friends…I think his name was Naruto…he says it's urgent and you are an asshole if you don't open it. You are quite the asshole though. Do you know how hard it was for me to pick up your damn scent?"

Sasuke's eyes widened for a moment and then turned back to his usual frown. "Hm…" Pakkun turned to leave.

"Oh, and Pakkun?" Pakkun turned back.

Sasuke struck it on its neck, which dispelled it. "That's for calling me a fucking asshole" he muttered.

_*Flashback*_

_Naruto ran around the village, looking for his sensei. He finally managed to find Kakashi's apartment and waited patiently until the door opened._

_Kakashi's one visible eye raised in an expression of surprise. "Naruto!? Wow, what brings you here today?" He gestured for Naruto to come in._

_After making some tea and having some idle chat Naruto began talking. "Well Kakashi sensei, I have a huge favor to request of you."_

"_What is it Naruto?" Kakashi asked._

"_I need to use one of your tracking dogs. Specifically Pakkun." Kakashi gave a curious expression at Naruto's request._

"_Well sure Naruto…the thing is that depending on how long it will take, you will have to use your chakra to maintain him. What are you going to do anyway?"_

"_Well Kakashi-sensei, I know it may sound a tad rude but it is kind of private. This will only take about a day if my estimations are correct…"_

_Kakashi smiled. "Make it quick!" Kakashi did some handseals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"_

_Pakkun puffed into existence. "What do you need me for now Kakashi?" he asked. Kakashi pointed to naruto. "Actually my only assignment to you is just to do what Naruto says for today. Naruto needs help with…something". Pakkun nodded._

_Naruto grinned. "Thanks again Kakashi sensei! Come on Pakkun, we have some work to do!" Naruto quickly ran out the door with Pakkun in tow. 'He is starting to look more and more like his father…' Kakashi smiled. _

_Kakashi closed the door and sat down. Something orange caught the corner of his eye, and what he saw on his table was a small book with a note attached:_

_**Dear Kakashi-sensei**_

_**Thanks for letting me use Pakkun! Here is your gift!**_

"_The Unreleased version of icha icha paradise, signed by Jiraiya? Holy shit!" Kakashi grinned and opened the book. A few seconds later perverted giggles followed._

_*End Flashback*_

Sasuke opened the scroll. It was a letter and a small paper with a seal was attached that fell out.

_Dear Sasuke,_

_Hey teme! This is Naruto of course, and let me say a few things. One, I know what happened with Orochimaru. And two, I know what you are going to do next. Knowing you and your stupid self, you are probably looking for Itachi with no success _(At this Sasuke gritted his teeth at the truth of the situation)_. _

_Well to find him you have to find the rest of the Akatsuki, which I have to do also. So I have a simple deal for you. I'll explain if further if you want to hear it. If you still want to roll solo, just burn the letter and the seal and continue. We will meet up in the future though. If you want to hear it, then squeeze the seal._

_Sincerely,_

_Naruto_

Sasuke picked the seal up and thought of his next move. Would it be wise to accept to listen to Naruto's offer? Would Naruto try and take him back to the Leaf village?

"Hm…whatever. I'm strong enough to defend myself." He said confidently. He squeezed the seal.

*In Konoha*

Naruto had just woke up from his slumber. He quickly went into the kitchen, and prepared some ramen for himself. While the Ramen was heating up he looked outside. It was a great day with lots of sun but cloud less. "Heh…Shikamaru will be pissed" he smirked, after thinking of his lazy friend and his cloud watching habit.

Naruto walked back into the kitchen and sat down to eat his ramen. While he was eating it he felt a weird pull. 'What the fuck?' he thought. He got up and looked around. **"Dumb kit…it's that Hiraishin seal you put in the letter. This is your first time testing it…remember? Let's see if this shit works!" Kyuubi grinned sadistically.**

Naruto let out a small grin. He felt the pull again and put on his black trench coat with red flames while looking at himself in the mirror. "Father would be proud…" he thought, looking at a picture of the fourth Hokage he had on his coffee table. When he walked out of his house, the pull got stronger. He did some handseals.

"For Minato Namakaze." he smiled.

He disappeared in a Yellow flash.

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**Sasuke wants to see Naruto! Naruto uses the Hiraishin! Orochimaru dead! Next chapter: Naruto's date! Read and Review!**


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